Video and Podcast Resources on Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae
24 lectures on a great Medieval thinker's work
One thinker whose works I’ve taught in many of my classes over the last several decades is the great 13th century Dominican, Thomas Aquinas. Most often, I’m using some small portions of the voluminous (and at his death, not completed) masterwork Summa Theologiae.
As with the other authors who I introduce my students to, I like to produce core concept videos that lead them into key ideas, arguments, and distinctions found in their work. For a number of years, I’ve recorded sets of those videos on certain topics particularly important for my classes. So far those have included Thomas’ discussions of:
whether God’s existence can be demonstrated
the nature of human happiness
the human emotion of anger
the types of law
At this point, I probably ought to have produced more videos, quite frankly, given the vast number of topics covered in the Summa Theologiae. Perhaps I’ll start remedying that down the line! But for now, these are what I have available. On the other hand, I have also converted them into podcast versions of the lectures, so that’s a plus.
Here’s what I have available at this point:
Summa Theologiae, Prima Pars, question 2
Is God's Existence Self-Evident? | watch video | listen to podcast
Can God's Existence Be Demonstrated? | watch video | listen to podcast
Five Ways for Proving God's Existence | watch video | listen to podcast
The 1st Way to Prove God's Existence | watch video | listen to podcast
The 2nd Way to Prove God's Existence | watch video | listen to podcast
The 3rd Way to Prove God's Existence | watch video | listen to podcast
The 4th Way to Prove God's Existence | watch video | listen to podcast
The 5th Way to Prove God's Existence | watch video | listen to podcast
Summa Theologiae, Prima Secundae Partis, question 2
Wealth and Human Happiness | watch video | listen to podcast
Honor, Fame, Power, and Happiness | watch video | listen to podcast
Pleasure and Human Happiness | watch video | listen to podcast
Goods of Body or Soul and Happiness | watch video | listen to podcast
Can Any Created Good Be Happiness? | watch video | listen to podcast
Summa Theologiae, Prima Secundae Partis, question 46
Anger As Specific Or General Emotion | watch video | listen to podcast
Goodness, Badness, and Anger | watch video | listen to podcast
Anger, Desire, and Naturalness | watch video | listen to podcast
Anger and Reason | watch video | listen to podcast
Anger's and Justice's Objects | watch video | listen to podcast
Anger, Hatred, and Seriousness | watch video | listen to podcast
Three Types of Anger | watch video | listen to podcast
Summa Theologiae, Prima Secundae Partis, questions 90-91 and 94
Eternal, Natural, and Human Law | watch video | listen to podcast
Precepts of the Natural Law | watch video | listen to podcast
Divine Law as Complement to Natural Law | watch video | listen to podcast
Natural Law, "Fomes," and Animality | watch video | listen to podcast
So there they are! 22 lectures in video and podcast form on portions of Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologiae that you can watch, listen to, or download to learn more about thing great thinker and his ideas.